Child of Uchiha
by SailorElfGirl
Summary: I was born from a broken condom and a sake bottle. My mother dumped me on my father when he passed unknowingly through the town again. I was an accident. Unwanted. A burden. Yet Sasuke still looked at me with pride in his eyes.
1. Prologue

**Prologue**

**Ba-bump. Ba-bump, ba-bamup, ba-bump**.

"I need the medical team in here, now!"

"Multiple -juries to the che….possible bro…ribs. Check spinal…or supposed damage…stop…eeding, immediately!"

"Where…-sama?!"

Voices shouted over the constant beeping that flooded my ears. Each breath became a nearly unbearable task as my chest screamed at me, caving in on itself. The yells above me increased in their volume as my lungs ceased to fill with air and the beeping next to me became louder. A mask was placed over my face, its cold metal sides burning around my bleeding mouth and clean oxygen filled my deflated lungs. It was forcing me to breathe, forcing me to live a little bit longer. I strained my eyes wanting to open them, to convey my unwillingness for them to save my life.

I didn't deserve it.

**Ba-bump, ba-bump…bump…bump…**

Eyelids crusted with blood long dried, opened with reluctance. Instantly, light crashed over my vision blinding me with their intensity, the white radiance contrasting with my black soul. Every nerve screeched their messages that my body was hurt, drowning me in their feral cries. A yell tore from my throat as my brain registered the pain that was racking my body, understanding that it was broken.

**Ba-bumpBa-bumpBa-bump**.

A restraining hand caught my shoulder, holding me down onto the stretcher as I thrashed about, trying to find a moment of respite from the agony.

_Stop!_ I wanted to shriek. _Make it stop! It hurts, it hurts so much!_

All that came from my feeble attempts was a hoarse exhale of air. Tight bands wrapped around my legs, keeping me in place as I struggled to break free. After a few moments, I could only stare at the streaming lights above me as the fight fled from my body. A face blurred before my eyes, a halo of light veiling their features. Fingertips feathered over my sweaty brow, brushing aside midnight strands from raven wing eyes. Bow shaped lips murmured what was supposed to be comforting assurances, but I could not hear them. I could only guess at their futile meaning.

"Alright…you…be…right…" she whispered, her words fading as blackness stained the edges of my world.

**Ba-bump…Ba-bump…bump……..**

The voice above me drowned in the pounding of my heart, her lies dying in the orchestra of white noise around me. Shadows spread like a disease across my dimming vision. Closer and closer, murky tendrils spread their reach, spidery fingers weaving their deadly web. Maybe I would get my wish. Maybe this is the end for me.

**Bump…bu…mp...**

A high pitched whine distantly echoed in my ear, its monotonous tone sounding far off in the distance. It wasn't hard to ignore as I relished in the release of the pain. It felt delicious, this numbness.

_**You are weak.**_

No! I'm just tired, so…so tired. I just want it to end, to let Kami-sama take me into his embrace so that my soul can rest.

_**Why are your weak?**_

Get out, I shrieked! Get out of my head! You're the reason why I'm dieing! I'm not weak; I just wasn't strong enough to kill _you_.

_**Because you lack hatred. That is why you are weak.**_

No, I could never lack hatred. _I hate you_. I hate you with every fiber of my being even though I had never met you until…today. Was it only this morning that Death left his mark upon my heart?

_**Foolish little girl…**_

I'm not foolish! I will kill you! I promised! I promised that I would and I can't betray the one person who is the most precious to me. It was in his eyes, his bottomless black eyes that I shared, before they became tainted with death's gray.

_**If you wish to kill me**_…yes, more than anything…_** despise me**_…you killed him…_**hate me**_…this raging fire burns at my very soul…_**and live in an unsightly way**_…if only to slide my father's sword between your ribs, I will…_**run, run and cling to life**_.

You told me to hate you, to despise you, and then come before you some day and kill you when I became stronger. I've killed before. I've felt a heart beat its last, eyes milky as the final breath leaves the body their accusing depths open. Blood drenched my hands; I couldn't wash it off for days. My stomach rejected the sin I had committed and rebelled against me, heaving until there was nothing left.

I hated killing. I hated fighting, yet there was nothing else I knew better. There are seven vulnerable places on a body that would lead to an instant death and I could strike at any of them without a split second of indecision. A shinobi was a tool. Nothing more. Father taught me that before I could walk. He made it clear to me that warriors of the night never showed their emotions. Father was especially good at that.

So, yes. I will become stronger. I will hunt you down. I am an avenger, a shinobi of no village, I am Amaya Uchiha, daughter of the rogue ninja Sasuke Uchiha, and I will kill you, Itachi. I swear it.

**Bump…bump…Ba-bump, bump.**


	2. Awakening

**Well, here's the next installment to Child of Uchiha. I've really got nothing to say, except that I hope you enjoy it!**

**Disclaimer: Oops, I forgot this in the last chapter. Well, anyway…I don't own Naruto. It all belongs to the genius mind of Masashi Kishimoto. I don't make any money off of this and only make this for my own enjoyment.**

**Chapter One:**

**Awakening **

Breathe in, slowly. Breathe out. Now, concentrate. Block out any surrounding noise, feel the target, find it and attack. Breathe in and breathe out.

_The personal mantra echoed in my head, the world pitch black around me. Chirps of forest birds and my own forced breathing were the only sounds in the silent forest. My toe scraped against the ground, soft from the rain a day before, my shoes forgotten at the moment. The earth smelled fresh, decaying wood overpowering any scent that might have registered in my small nose. It would be a beautiful day if I could see it. _

_Fingers deftly twirled a kunai in my left hand, my dominant side, restlessly. Behind a cloth band wrapped around my head my closed eyelids moved from side to side, tracing an invisible pattern. Stretching a meter all around me were lines upon lines of chakra that coated the forest floor. It had taken me most of an hour to form the crude net, but I was confidant that it would serve its purpose. _

_After two hours, that confidence began to slip away._

_A bead of sweat crawled from my hairline to drip down from my stubborn chin. Another soon followed as the sun climbed higher in the sky, but I didn't dare tear my focus from the net to wipe it away. Although I was sorely tempted. _

_A silent shake of my head tore me from my stupor and I continued to retrace of my chakra pattern to detect any irregularities. So far nothing seemed out of the ordinary, until my mind's eyes came across a slight valley no deeper or wider than a footprint in the otherwise perfectly straight line. _

_I had found my target. A smirk played itself on my lips as I turned a ninety degree angle on the ball of my foot and released the kunai from scarred fingertips all in the blink of an eye. Automatically my fingers dipped into the kunai pouch secured to my left thigh and felt for the cool metal ring of the knife. I waited for the sound of my success, but the forest remained the same and I began to wonder if I somehow-_

"_Ten degrees," came the husky voice right in front of me. "Your aim was off by that much. Do it again," he ordered._

_Immediately a frown pasted itself on my face, my chakra grid dissolving from lack of concentration. My body slumped from my battle ready position, muscles screaming. I crossed my arms over my chest in rebellion, refusing to set up the technique once more. _

"_This is stupid," I muttered and glared at the spot I thought he was in._

_A frustrated sigh ghosted over my ears. I knew that I was acting like a child, but if he was going to treat me like one then I would act like one._

"_You only think this is stupid because you can't do it," he pointed out._

"_No!" I disagreed and stubbornly pulled down the course blindfold so that the dark blue fabric pooled around my neck._

_I blinked a few times to get used to the sudden intrusion of light and quickly located the object of my frustration. He stood disapprovingly before me, twirling my errant kunai knife by its base and staring down at me with a quirk to his eyebrow. That meant he was amused, not angry. However, that didn't make me feel any better._

"_This is only stupid because we've been doing this same exercise for the entire day!"_

_A stray breeze intimately touched the man's long inky locks of hair that framed his face and drifted across his stern mouth. His mirror image, though lanky and female, had the same attention from the tendrils of air and I reached up to brush away the obstinate strands. _Maybe I should cut my hair_, I thought, _it's nearly as long as dad's.

"_One day this stupid technique, as you have called it, may-."_

"_Save your life, Amaya," I mocked, matching the pitch of his voice. I unfolded my arms and brought them both up, facing each other and made talking motions with them. I moved my right fingers up and down and continued my impersonation. "A shinobi must be prepared at all times."_

_I moved my left hand and used a higher pitched voice. "Yes, I know. You've told me a thousand times, but I always need a reminder every time I mess up. Thank-you for your wonderful support."_

_Right hand. "I'm very sorry, Amaya. I'll try to be more supportive of you in the future. Let's hug and make-up."_

_I smashed my two hands together in the semblance of a hug, and was almost too distracted to duck the kunai coming straight towards me. It was a lazy throw, but I still wearily stood up to look at my father to make sure he wasn't going to toss anymore pointy objects at my person._

"_Very amusing," he drawled in a voice that suggested it was anything but._

_A shrug of my shoulders, "I try."_

_He shook his head at me and turned around. "After lunch we'll continue this exercise until you've mastered it."_

_I grumbled, "Then we'll be here all week," but picked up my pace to follow the sway of his mane of black hair trapped in a leather thong. _

_I swooped down to snatch my battered sandals in the crook of my fingers and struggled to put them on as I was walking. After a few minutes of effort, I managed to slip them on without tripping before reaching our temporary campsite. As a force of habit, I performed a chakra sweep of the perimeter-_

"_Stay behind me."_

_My head snapped up in surprise at the cold voice coming from my father's mouth. I quickly drew a kunai from my pouch and settled in a familiar position with my back against his. My wrist locked up, the kunai horizontal across my face, one leg forward the other bent a little behind me, and my mind racing trying to come up with an escape route. Dad only used that tone with strangers and enemies if he even bothered to speak at all. _

_Hundreds of different times we had been in the same position, my body didn't need my brain to tell it what to do. I relied on instinct to keep me safe. Sometimes thinking was too slow. But this time…I was nervous. I didn't dare let it show. _

_Ever since I was born and old enough to understand, I was told by dad to always run because being a breathing coward was better than being a dead fool. Hunter nins wouldn't come after me. I wasn't their mark. I wasn't their mission. _

_But this wasn't another regular ambush by the specialized shinobi. This was a clear day without a cloud in the sky and in the middle of the afternoon. The intruder had to be incredibly dim-witted to think that they could take on father without some sort of advantage the night could offer, or they had enough power to do without._

_Somehow, I doubted my first thought. _

_A throaty laugh interrupted my musings, causing a shiver to race down my spine. It seemed to come from every direction, the raspy chuckle surrounding us. "Well, well, Sasuke Uchiha, it's nice to see you again. I hope you haven't forgotten me."_

_Dad didn't answer. I strained my senses to pick out where the cocky ninja was, but his signature was carefully hidden._

_"I must say that you haven't changed since I last saw you. When was that? A decade past?"_

_He ignored the questioning man and leaned down to speak quietly into my ear. "Run, Amaya. Run as far and as fast as you can away from here."_

_"But, Da-"_

_"Be quiet and follow my orders!"_

_I clenched my mouth shut and nodded tightly, prepared to follow his hissed command. Chakra pumped into my legs and I leaped into the air, catching a hold __on a towering branch of a tree twenty feet away. I would listen to my father, and then double back. I couldn't leave him alone. What if he needed help? _

_My sandaled feet came in contact with rough bark, my face inches from a smirking mouth. All I saw was red and black before pain blossomed in my chest. I didn't understand. It hurt…it hurt a lot. _

_An angry yell screamed defiance from behind me, his voice drowning in the deafening pounding of my heart. The tightness in my chest released all at once and I remembered the feeling of my feet slipping from the tree branch, air slapping at my loose fitting clothes, and falling, falling, falling. _

_If I knew what I would wake up to later, I never would have opened my eyes. _

But I did, white light blinding me. A hiss of pain seethed through my teeth before I could close them again.

A light voice chuckled. "Just give your eyes a moment to adjust." If I hadn't been strapped to the bed, I would have jumped three feet in the air. I didn't even sense them. I must really be out of it to not notice. All that gave away my surprise at another person being in the room was a slight flinch of my hands. Fingertips brushed against empty space where a weapons pouch would be on my thigh and curled into a fist. Sharp nails bit into calloused palms, stopping the oncoming tears as the memory of my dream painted itself across my eyelids. A shinobi did not cry. Shinobi do not show emotion.

However, I couldn't stop a single tear that traced along the curve of my cheek to fall on the crisp white sheets below.

"I can give you some morphine for the pain," she sympathetically said. "I'm afraid that speeding up the process with chakra healing will cause even more damage to your internal organs. Only time can mend those wounds."

I didn't bother to correct her diagnosis. Pain, that caused no harm. I felt like I deserved it, this hurt. I had failed him. I failed the one person I cared for. Because I wasn't strong enough because I wasn't fast enough; my failure resulted in death and it wasn't even my own life that settled Fate's Scale.

Carefully, with the pain of my last try still fresh in my mind, I opened my eyes, squinting until I could open them fully. Stark white walls and the smell of antiseptic convinced me that I was in a hospital.

The nurse next to my cot cleared her throat and walked to the front of my bed. _Click, click, click, _her heels made across the tiled floor as she reached the clipboard that hung from the bed railing. Her white uniform blended into her surroundings so perfectly that I had to blink a few times to find her again when the room blurred. She inconspicuously scanned over the pages, her eyes flicking to me and then back to the papers.

She glanced up after a few quiet minutes and gave me a brilliant smile. "Well," she chirped. "You were quite lucky to have been found by a patrolling ANBU." She replaced the clipboard back on the base of the bed and clicked her heels to my bedside. "If they hadn't come across you when they did, you might not have made it through the night."

Her finger, tipped with pink nail polish, ran lightly across the IV connected to my arm and up to the machine hooked up to it I assume to make sure it was still working. She looked over at me for an expectant response. I, ignoring her, glared at my still clenched fists, bathed in linen bandages, in irritation.

The nurse went on as if there was no awkward pause. "Yes, you are a very lucky, little girl. But," she paused, "it sure is strange the way everything is being hushed up." Methodically, she arranged the bed sheets around my still body and touched her chin in thought. "I mean, Tsunade-sama has taken priority over your case and she'll try anything to get out of any type of work. Oh well," she sighed, taking my silence as a normal way to carry on a conversation. "It's none of my business and I just hope that you get better soon. Would you like to sit up?"

The deterred question from her useless babble surprised me. My fists relaxed and I realized that I was sick of lying on my back so I nodded. Another smile was my reward and she gently propped me up on some extra pillows she pulled out of an overhead cabinet, white of course. A hand across my chest prevented me from falling flat on my face and I became conscious of the fact of how weak I was at the moment. A stray breeze could knock me over. It was a major change from the independent girl who was raised on knives and fighting.

"There we go. Open or closed?" She gestured towards the window with off-white curtains framing the sides.

"O-Op-," I tried to say, but the words stuck to my throat.

Water was presented to me in a glass and I gratefully took a small sip as she held the glass to my lips.

"Open," I croaked.

Curtains flew open with a flick of her wrist and the warm sunlight did more for me than the drugs that flooded my system. Content in the warmth, I let out a sigh that released the tension in my shoulders and appeased the worries in my mind at least for a moment.

"Ah, it's a beautiful day outside." The nurse stopped to admire the cloudless sky, mind lost in a memory. "Well," she turned around and headed for the door, "I'll see what I can do to rustle you up some food. I'm sure you're hungry?"

A shrug of my shoulders told her that I didn't care.

She nodded. "Alright, a nurse should be by in a few minutes with some food and I expect every bite to be gone when I come to check on you later. Okay?"

Another shrug.

"Get well soon," was her goodbye and I couldn't help but scoff as the door closed behind her.

Who was she to act like the mother I never had? No right, she had no right. But how would I know what a mother acted like? I was born from a broken condom and a sake bottle. The woman that had carried me in her womb for nine months abandoned me soon after I was born and dumped me on my father when he passed unknowingly through the town, again. I was an accident. Unwanted. A burden.

The only reason he took me was guilt. He couldn't leave me with the people in the village. I would be killed as soon as my secret revealed itself. Kekei Genkai, bloodline limit, and the mutated genes running through my veins refused to be suppressed. The sharingan was my inheritance from my father's side of the family, the Uchiha. As one of the last living members of the nearly extinct clan, I couldn't simply be put aside. Too much potential locked inside my small body. Also, it would be all too easy to extract the secrets of my Mirror Wheel Eyes from my corpse.

So my father had no other choice.

But-but he said that I was the only thing-

The banging of the door to my claustrophobic room startled me. Hmph, some ninja I am. I cocked my head to the side as a head full of pink hair popped into the doorway with a tray stacked with food that nearly towered above her head.

A laugh bubbled from behind the plastic wrapped sandwiches and I couldn't help but smile a little at the pure, happy sound. "Sorry if I scared you, but this tray might have tipped over if I had reached over to grab the handle."

Without missing a beat, her sandaled foot caught the edge of the door and slammed it closed. She navigated her way to my bedside and set down the delicious looking selection of food.

She wiped her hands together. "Nyoko-san said that you were hungry so I brought lots of different kinds-!" The words cut off as she finally turned to look at me. A strangled gasp emitted from her throat as if she was choking on her incomplete sentence.

"Sasuke," she breathed.

**Well, that's it for this chapter. I hope you like it, and remember to drop a review. Authors like those. If you find any mistakes or ideas, fell free to discuss them with me. Thank you! Ja ne!!**


	3. Dealings of Devils

**Sorry it took so long, but here's the next installment for Child of Uchiha. I hope you continue reading!**

**Chapter 2**

**Dealings of Devils**

Paralyzed at the familiar name, I could only stare stupidly at the woman who must have known my father. An erratic bump against my ribs forced a painful whine to escape my lips. My heart, it hurt. It hurt so much. I gripped my chest with a linen wrapped fist, eyes clenched in the unexpected pain.

"Sasuke, Sasuke you've come back."

The pure hope in her voice…

"N-no," I whimpered.

I could hear the woman come closer, her presence hovering over me. I could practically feel her intentions.

"I knew it. I knew you would come back."

Her voice wavered at the last part of her sentence; small bursts of wetness fell on my uncovered arm.

"Stop," I grunted in some semblance of an order.

Strong, comforting arms wrapped around my neck, pulling me close. My body stiffened at the unfamiliar contact. I had never been hugged before in my twelve years. This…closeness was foreign. Yet, I felt loved, even cared for. A moment was all I allowed before realizing the truth.

It was a lie. She wasn't embracing me, this monster in a girl's skin, she was sobbing onto my father's shoulder. Not mine.

Coal eyes hardened at the fluorescent pink hair shaking underneath my chin. Icicles pierced my fragile heart, the intense pain lasting for only a moment until the numbing cold engulfed the weak, useless organ.

"Let go."

Frost fell like mist from my lips. The icy words seeped into the bones of the crying nurse, stiffening her movements and freezing her tears. Hands clenched around my body, then slowly released. Her torso, stretched across my legs, lifted itself up as the arms withdrew.

Watery jade eyes looked through the fogged windows of my soul. I turned away, afraid of what she might see.

"I…I am not who you think I am," I said when I gathered my thoughts.

The words were deafening in the silence.

"W-What?" She started, a nervous twitch shaking her entire body. Food spilled onto the floor when her elbow upset the metal tray, the sharp clang reverberated throughout-

-_the forest. The clash of kunai knives awoke me from my stupor. The intense melody of battle mimicked a lethal waltz. From my youth I danced to this ancient beat, __never forgetting a step, never forgetting the consequence of missing a note, never stopping._

_All at once my senses awakened. I was face down in the dirt, my right arm pinned beneath my body. From my chest down no feeling occurred. Panic invaded my mind. Why couldn't I move? No matter how much I struggled my legs remained on the forest floor, leaves tickling my thighs. My breathing came faster, my lungs thankfully not paralyzed. I didn't understand. What was going on? Who was fighting? Why couldn't I move?!_

_A grunt in effort turned into a cry of pain as my pinned arm slid the tiniest bit. My hand had been applying pressure to the hole in my chest, saving me from bleeding out. I would have been more thankful if I didn't hurt so much. But I've had worse. I've had to endure hours of grueling training with my dad. A little scratch like this meant nothing. _

_My dad!_

_Slowly, I lifted my head, scraping my chin on the packed dirt. I couldn't see much, the two fighters were moving too fast for me to accurately track. Sharp sunlight blinded my left eye suddenly. Squinting, I turned my head a little and saw that I was wrong before at what had awoken me. Father's sword stabbed the earth, its razor edge faced towards me. Light danced hypnotically across the silver blade, my face a horrid mess in the reflected glow. The enemy shinobi must have disarmed dad just a moment ago. It was an amazing feat. He never let his sword out of his sight. I couldn't even manage to steal it when he was sleeping. _

_In shock at the graveness of our situation, I stared openmouthed at the battle in front of me. The two had finally ceased moving at high speeds and stood across from each other in defensive stances. Father's sleeve was torn, blood staining the edges of the cut pink. Little nicks decorated his body, but from my vantage point, I couldn't see anything serious. His opponent sported a charred pant leg._

_Neither shinobi moved, just cautiously watched one another until two pale fingers rested before my father's face in the sign of Tora. No other signs followed this single one. My heart skipped a beat as I recognized the stance; the movements a nightmare that accompanied me on dark nights. _

"_No," I breathed. My voice refused to carry any further. It was as if there was no air left in my lungs for me to speak, only to keep me alive for a little longer. _

_Violet chakra bled from Sasuke's body, swirling above him in a rapid tornado. _

"_Stop," I exhaled._

_Black flames erupted from his shoulder, claiming every inch of skin. They crawled across his face. Burning with the mark of the devil he made a pact with so many years ago. But still it haunted him. The snake still had his fingers embedded within him. He controlled him from beyond his desecrated grave; to make him into a demon was the devil's goal. He succeeded every time dad unsealed the mark. The curse branded onto his flesh._

_Calloused fingers embedded themselves into the earth in a fierce hold, leaving small furrows behind. Breathing in deeply, I screamed with everything I had left in my small body. I had to make him stop. _

"Her pulse is shooting through the roof!"

A flash of light blinded me for a moment before clicking off. "Eyes are dilated, she's going into shock. Where's Tsunade-sama?"

I…I didn't understand. What was going on? Where did all these people come from? Limbs flailing, heart racing, I fought with everything I had left in my bruised body. Get away! Let go! Stop! Dad!

"Dad where are you?!" I was desperate. I had to stop him before he hurt himself again. That technique, I hated it so much. "Stop! Stop, please!" Every time he unleashed that forbidden technique it hurt him. And it scared me. That was the only thing that I would admit to being scared of.

"Calm down," a voice shouted from my right side, trying wildly to stop my arm from crashing into their face. "We're not going to hurt you!"

I clenched my eyes shut, not believing their lies. My chest it hurt. It felt like it was caving in on itself. Breathe, I can't breathe. I can't breathe.

"At least she stopped screaming. Now I can finally hear myself think."

"Tsunade-sama!"

The woman who sounded like she was in charge barked an order that I didn't hear and the restraining arms tightened around me. No, I have to go. Let go, I have to…

"My…dad…he…" I gasped out.

"Save your breath, kid. I'm about to send a chakra bolt into your heart that could kill you."

Opening in shock, my eyes stared shockingly into smirking brown orbs. Later, it was made known to me that she only said that to keep my "skinny ass still" as the good doctor put it. It worked, although I think she said it for her own sick amusement and not for my health.

"This will hurt like hell."

It was my only warning before a pair of fingers forcefully jammed two inches below my collarbone where my heart beat weakly in my chest. Akin to a wildfire raging beneath my skin, the sensation flooded my veins with its potent feral blaze, spreading rapidly throughout my entire body. After a few moments of the brutal torture, my consciousness fled, leaving me in a comforting black embrace.

To only awaken five minutes later. Blurry eyes focused on my savior; my drunk…half-dressed savior with blonde hair down partway in a pigtail and the smell of alcohol staining her breath. She gave me a goofy smile, took my bandaged wrist into her hand, and checked my pulse with two forefingers.

"Can't have you dying on me," she said. "I've got a reputation to keep."

Breathy laughter escaped my throat. "Wouldn't…want to…spoil…that."

"Kid, I've got two-hundred ryuu and a free drink on you to walk out of here with a full recovery. Don't think that you can ruin an easy bet for me by kicking the bucket. Sorry, but you're going to have to live. Well at least until I collect my money. After that you can throw yourself off a cliff."

She released my wrist. "Normal. Take a deep breath for me." I sucked in a big gulp of air. "Hold, one…two…three release. Alright you're breathing and your heart rate is steady so I assume that you're not going to die on me. Well, at least not right away. Now maybe we can get some questions answered."

Immediately, I felt my face settle into an intimately familiar mask, shielding my thoughts from the woman in front of me. Nothing was betrayed by my facial expressions. I was stone. Everything was still. I took upon me my father's character.

Tsunade-sama smirked at my blank features in amusement. "Five ribs injured; three broken and two cracked. A large stab wound made by a kunai to the right shoulder due to the dislodged tip embedded in the infected flesh. Collapsed right lung. Broken arm with a sprained wrist complete with scorch marks. Multiple lacerations, bruises painted on nearly every inch of skin. And to top it all off, a mild concussion."

I gave no inkling of understanding. Stone, I am stone.

Ignoring my lack of conversation, she explained the reason for her impressive list of injuries.

"If you had been found even a moment later, you would have died in your pathetic condition in your own blood."

"Do you expect gratitude?" My voice a drawling monotone.

She shook her head. "Oh no," a large smirk invaded her expression. "I expect an explanation."

Waving her hand absently, Tsunade sent out the faceless nurses. I looked up for a moment, watching the women in starched, white uniforms exit. Pink hair caught my attention and I felt my body freeze up. As if she could feel my gaze, the woman turned. Remorseful emerald eyes, filled to the brim with an unresolved inner sorrow, swept over my bedraggled appearance. A single shake of her head followed her disappearance through the doorway; its lock clicking in place to signify that I was left alone with my interrogator.

The sharp grating of a chair sliding none too delicately across the tiled floor drew my gaze back to Tsunade's figure settling comfortably in a rickety wooden chair that had most definitely seen better days. She pushed her knee length jacket away from her legs before she crossed them and set her hands on top.

"Alright, let's start. What's your name?"

I raised an eyebrow at her straightforward question and her assumption that she thought I would give her information that easily. I wasn't stupid or ignorant. I had been in an interrogation before. I knew the tricks; jousting with words was a game for me and one that I rarely lost.

When I decided to play the silent card, Tsunade heaved a tired sigh. Her thumb and forefinger circled soothingly on her temples, a headache most likely forming.

"Look kid, I've got a huge pile of paperwork on my desk that I unfortunately have to get back to sooner or later. If you don't want to cooperate, that's fine. I'll just set up a meeting with Ibiki, our head of interrogation, and you can talk to him them. So what's it going to be? Either way we're going to know who you are."

"…What if I say that I don't remember?"

"Concussion was on the wrong part of the brain, sweetie. Try again."

Anticipation of a good match made a small smile bloom on my face.

"Amaya," I ceded.

"Surname?"

I shook my head. "Not claimed."

"Orphan?"

"…My father's dead," oh it hurt, it hurt so much! "I never knew my mother."

"I'm sorry," came her automatic response.

I shrugged.

"Age," she continued.

"I think around twelve."

"You don't know your own age?"

"I don't even know my own birthday," I answered dryly.

A smirk grew on her lips, acknowledging my emerging sense of humor. I blame my mother's side of the family. Kami knows that the stoic Uchiha never laughed in his entire life.

Tsunade made a motion that suggested that she was checking off a mental list. "Alright, we've got the basics down. Now we come to the part of the questioning where I decide if you're a threat or not. This is my favorite part," she admitted with a Cheshire cat grin.

"I'm glad you're enjoying yourself."

"Oh, don't I know it," the woman said and a muscle in her face twitched, flushing her earlier carefree attitude away. Instead it was replaced with a solemn, sober look that reminded me of dad. Here came the difficult part, but fun. The trick was to not lie. I only had to answer with a partial truth to not be caught in a trap of words. _Try me_, I challenged mentally.

"How did you enter the village in your condition without alerting the perimeter guards?"

Guards? I questioned in my mind. There wouldn't be any- everything that I had pushed to the back of my mind, came before me all at once. Tsunade…I've heard that name before. Dad talked about her once.

He knew her.

That nurse with the pink hair, she mistakenly called me Sasuke in a voice that betrayed her knowledge of him.

She knew him.

All the ignored questions; the forlorn look in his eyes when he gazed into the distance as if remembering something, remembering something dear to his heart. The place he grew up.

Konoha. I was in the Village Hidden in the Leaves, the place of my father's childhood. I was in the hospital of the village that branded Sasuke as a traitor. And I was his daughter.

But I had to confirm it.

Looking at the Hokage of Konohagakure, I asked her what village I was in, without any of the thoughts that I had been thinking before, appear on my face.

She tilted her head. "You don't know where you are?"

"Enlighten me, please."

After a moment of silence, she answered. "Konoha."

I let out a breath that I hadn't even been aware I'd been holding. My suspicions verified, I told the response to her inquiry. "I don't know," I said simply. And it was the truth. I had no earthly clue how I had gotten here. A notion? Yes. Was I going to tell her? No.

Tsunade made a non-committal noise that sounded like a grunt. There wasn't a hint on her face that told me if she believed me or not. I thought that she was just annoyed. My assumption was proven when she finally leaned towards me, eyes slanted and tense shoulders. Before I could move away, her perfectly manicured hand snapped from its coil like a viper. Caught in its deadly grasp was my wrist, fingers splayed helpless under the woman's scrutiny.

"Funny thing chakra is," the Hokage of the village hidden in the leaves commented idly. "It exists in every single person. Some have an unimaginable quantity of the physical and spiritual energy stored, making them able to perform Ninjutsu and Genjutsu. It's amazing and yet it is always easy to tell whether someone has a large amount or not."

She didn't look away from my hand, her eyes roving over the fingertips. What she was looking for, I didn't know. I also didn't know why Tsunade decided to give me a basic lesson in chakra history. It was one I knew by heart and one that my father only had to repeat once when he began the lesson on chakra control. At about that time, I was maybe three years old. Hard work, it was. But I never hated him for not giving me a normal childhood. It was either learn to defend myself or die. There were no other choices when one's parent was a nuke-nin.

I drew out of my thoughts when Tsuande continued her little seminar.

"They have this…aura about them, you could say. A mystical ambiance that heightens their deadly personae. These men and women become shinobi, learning the ancient arts to control their boundless energy and protect their home."

I felt my fingers become cold as my spine stiffened. But still, the doctor refused to glance at me. She knew. She knew who I was. That had to be the only explanation. There were ninja waiting just outside that door, ready to kill me on their Hokage's mark because they knew my secret. I felt my throat constrict, my body's self-defense mechanism that closed off any words that might betray me. Any moment, the door would burst open. The glass would shatter at the window, death in the blank masks as a kunai slashed across my throat.

Tsunade continued, relentlessly. "I felt the same aura around you, although drained as it was. Even standing before Shinigami your chakra rebelled against death, using every last drop to heal your wounds until there was only a small ember left." She paused. "It was only enough to keep your heart pumping. Every major organ, failing. There was blood," a shiver disrupted her words, "so much blood pouring out of your tiny body. Then, your heart stopped. It was like you were giving up. But then, that tiny, little cinder flared and your heart started to beat again."

Her words enraptured me.

"However, we weren't sure if a girl like you could heal from all your massive injuries. You were young, your body malnourished, but you held on with the strength of a shinobi. And that thought got me thinking…"

"And what were your thoughts?" I asked, appearing unconcerned.

A smirk formed on her thin lips and I realized too late that the Hokage saw underneath my mask. She still held my wrist, my pulse beating erratically underneath her calloused fingertips, a tell-tale sign of my nervousness.

"I'll tell you," she practically purred. "What I was thinking was that if this little girl had the heart of a shinobi warrior, why not the skills of one?"

I tried to interject, but pressure exerted on my wrist forced my words back.

"Don't say anything until I've finished explaining the deal that I hope to make with you."

A deal? What? Wasn't she going to have me executed? I didn't know anything of value that she might want. Dad…Dad's dead, so I couldn't be used against him. Also, even if she tried to turn me against my father, I would sooner die than betray the only family I ever had. He was everything to me: a friend, an ally, a parent. What did this insane, drunken woman want?

Tsunade turned brown orbs toward me, the inebriated haze dissipated. "Am I right to assume that you have had some training in the shinobi arts?"

My small nod could have been seen as a muscle spasm. "I've never been to school, though. I was taught generally theory." Which was mostly true, if not a borderline lie. Whenever dad spoke, theories on control and finesse poured from his lips. His more intense lessons were hands on and physical. He always told me that knowing and doing were on complete opposites of the spectrum. My body should know what to do before my mind did. Thinking was too slow; instinct was faster and would save my life better than nonessential thoughts.

But, if I ever had a question, he would stop whatever he was doing to thoroughly answer. Ignorance could kill me just as fast as a kunai to the heart could. He had taught me a great deal; even the game of words.

Tsunade nodded. "I thought as much. So here's what I'm going to offer you, kid. In exchange for saving your life, you will attend the Ninja Academy here in Konoha with other brats the same age as you until you complete your training. Now, it is up to you whether or not you want to continue your education past the Genin stage, but it is not your choice to learn up to that point. With your half-assed training, you'd be a danger to yourself as well as to others around you."

I was so amazed that I didn't even bother to comment on her last sentence.

She continued. "Also with your education I will provide you with a place to live and a monthly allowance to buy food and stuff." She waved her free hand in the air to explain the wide variety of 'stuff'. "Food, shelter, the chance to learn; a lot to gain in our little bargain."

"A bargain is made so that both sides come out equally. I see no benefit for you," I pointed out, greatly confused as to why I was being offered so many gifts.

I've never had a home before. Dad and I were always on the move. It was too risky to stay in one place for very long because our hunters never seemed to tire, sleep, or lose track of their prey.

Spots of starlight twinkled in the older woman's eyes as her hand released my wrist and settled lightly on the bandages covering my right shoulder. "If I play my cards right in this deal of ours, I believe it is I who will come out of this with a full house. So, do you agree?"

I didn't understand and I told her as much.

"It's simple," she explained. "Just say 'yes' and –

"That's not what I meant! I mean that I don't understand why you are doing this!" I exclaimed. "I'm an orphan, a nobody who you scraped off the street! I'm not some pity case assigned to ease guilt! What do you want? Why are you doing this?!"

I turned my face away, ashamed of the tears that built up without my consent. Hot streaks of sorrow raced down flushed cheeks, I being unable to stop their course. Tsunade didn't say a word as I struggled to control myself. Shinobi do not cry. Shinobi show no emotion. Stone, I am stone.

When I locked away my emotions into a box, latched with chains, I looked back at the silent Hokage. She peered at my face for a moment before speaking.

"It may seem that I ask nothing in return, but I truly am receiving things far greater than the simple gifts I give to you."

A home is not a simple gift, I thought, it is a priceless treasure.

"Some time ago, a young boy stood before me with the very same look in his eyes that you bear. A past wreathed in pain, an invisible responsibility that weighed down heavily on his shoulders, and a will so strong that he could move mountains. You remind me so much of that boy and I will not fail you as I did him."

Her voice was quiet when she reached the end of her explanation. And I wanted this. I wanted this opportunity so badly.

"I won't accept charity," I whispered.

"Fine," she acquiesced. Her hand trailed up to gently cradle my chin. "I will ask three favors from you. No more, no less. I will not tell you these favors until I ask them of you. But I'll tell you the first one."

My back straightened at her words, ready for anything she would ask of me.

"You will attend the Academy, make friends, and have a semblance of a normal life. That is all."

"What?"

Tsunade quickly coughed and released my face before standing up.

"I don't have time to answer all your silly questions. I'm a very busy woman with a full schedule ahead of me and I can't spend all day here waiting for you to agree. So, if you'll excuse me?"

When she turned to open the door and step out into the hallway, I made my decision.

"We have a deal."

The Hokage didn't turn around, but nodded to show that she heard me and left with the parting words of "get some rest".

My eyes closed without my permission and I drifted off to sleep in an ocean full of dreams. I never saw my silver haired visitor with a dog shaped mask place a handful of flowers in the vase next to my bedside.


	4. An Unfamiliar Home

**Chapter Three**

**An Unfamiliar Home**

Five days passed before I was allowed to be released from the hospital and even then I was given a firm warning to not strain myself. My stitches had to be taken out in one week so no stupid stunts as I was told by Tsunade who then proceeded to dump a bag of clothing, money, and a key into my arms.

Now I walked down the streets of Konoha, neatly dodging the bustling crowd with ease. The streets were alive with activity. Men and women shouted to prospective customers from homemade stalls, exclaiming that their wares were of the finest quality and set at a reasonable price. Children wandered away from the sides of gossiping mothers to stare adoringly at a gangly man with a large mustache who presented his spinning tops to the wide eyes of his audience.

I marveled at the revolving array of colors before continuing on to find the address listed on the piece of paper folded around the tiny bronze key that now rested in the palm of my hand. For a good part of an hour I had been searching for the apartment that I would be staying at and so far I've had no luck.

I never knew Konoha was so big!

It all seemed like I was stuck in a dream. This couldn't possibly be happening to me. Me! The daughter of a fugitive! Everything that I've dreamed about was tucked into the bag hanging off my unwounded shoulder. Deep desires that I never let rise to the surface of my thoughts were bubbling over as I nearly skipped down the street, sidestepping a woman carrying a basket overflowing with ruby red apples.

I stopped to crouch down and pick up a fallen fruit. The smell hit me, the ripe scent setting off my stomach. I blushed at the grumbling my belly was making as I handed the chuckling woman her apple back.

"Now I know that these apples will make a fine pie by the sound of your tummy. Keep it, dearie."

I was astonished. "Th-thank you," I stuttered and clutched the fruit to my chest. No stranger had ever given me something freely before.

The middle-aged woman laughed aloud at my stunned expression and patted my head of black spikes. "You would think that you hadn't eaten in days with that look on your face! Run along, child, before your mother wonders where you are."

I whispered another thank you under my breath and rushed away before she could catch the sorrow that filled my onyx eyes. My mother probably forgot about me as soon as she dumped me in my father's arms claiming that she wanted nothing to do with me. A bastard child. A freak.

I was barely a year old when my mother gave me up. Dad told me, when I woke up crying from a nightmare in one of our many campsites, that he knew I was something special, as I laid bawling in a ratty blanket, for my eyes glowed red. An infant and I already stood on the threshold of my inheritance. The Sharingan. It was unheard of. Impossible, the scrolls said.

Freak. I was a freak.

But…it didn't matter. She didn't matter. I would become stronger, strong enough to kill Itachi Uchiha. When I learned all that the teachers here in Konoha would teach, then I would leave. This need – desire – for vengeance was greater than my own longing for a home.

Maybe, after Itachi was dead and I'm still alive, then I could return.

But I highly doubted that I would survive my encounter with the red-eyed murderer. As long as he died by my hands then the rest didn't matter. It could wait.

For now, I would lay low; accept the Hokage's offer and learn. Tsunade-sama said she held a full house in the game we were playing, but I had a handful of aces.

* * *

I turned the key and heard the satisfying click of the tumblers locking into place. I tested the door, paint peeling off the sides of it, and pocketed the key before heading off in the direction to the Ninja Academy.

It had taken me another half hour of aimless wandering yesterday to find the apartment building that I would live in. Small, dusty, and pretty much run down, the apartment was more than I could have imagined. Mice had made a home in the corner of the bedroom and there was a faint smell of noodles hanging in the air, but it was mine; a place to call my own.

The cupboards were empty so I had to go shopping later with my monthly allowance but I didn't have time to after I finished cleaning. School was tomorrow and I was too excited about that to barely sleep let alone eat. Besides, it wouldn't be the first time I went a day without food.

I ignored the tightness in my stomach as I walked to the Academy reviewing the rules I made the night before in my head.

Rule number one: do not stand out. I was weird enough coming into the Academy so late, and Tsunade had let the rumor spread that I was from another village. Blend in with the other students; show no talent, no aptitude. Be…average.

Rule number two: always suppress chakra. Even the lightest whiff of my power and suspicions would plant themselves in the minds of the students and teachers alike.

Rule number three: don't let _anyone_ find out about who I really am. In Konoha I was Amaya Soyo who was staying here because my parents were killed in an enemy shinobi raid. I was homeschooled in my old village but decided now to attend the Academy. It was close enough to the truth I had given Tsunade-sama.

It would work. I shouldn't be scared. So why were my hands shaking as I approached the door to the classroom?

Glaring at my shivering palm and berating myself mentally for acting like a baby, I slid open the wooden door. The noise that had filtered into the hallway ceased when I cautiously entered the room. Out of habit, I performed a sweep of the entire area noticing every detail down to the last scratches in the desks.

I had never seen so many kids my own age before! Where did they all come from?

Blonde, brunette, brown eyes, blue eyes, short, tall, girls and boys, and they were all staring at me. I was curious to know what they thought of the small, gawky, black haired girl with dark eyes too big for her face. They probably thought she was a freak just like the mothers who pulled their children aside when I walked down the street of a nameless village with my father. At that moment, as I stood under the scrutiny of the silent classroom, I hated the Hokage for making me come. I was debating turning right back around and forgetting about my stupid curiosity, but a comment stopped me from running scared. Uchihas were _not_ cowards.

"Hey! You're the new kid, right?"

My eyes sought out the person who asked the question. My gaze settled on a pigtailed girl with mischievous teal orbs who had stood up from her desk to ask if I was new or not. I nodded, instantly overcome with a bout of shyness.

"Cool! We haven't had a new kid in ages! Do you have any friends? Would you like to be my friend? Why'd ya come in the middle of the year? I mean you must have a reason. Not that you have to tell me, but it must be really important for Hokage-sama to-!"

"Kousa! Shut up and sit down," ordered a deep voice from behind me.

So overcome by the rapid fire questions posed at me I must have missed the entrance of the man.

"Yes Papa-sensei," said Kousa with a sigh.

Twisting my body slightly, I saw the shinobi who must be my teacher and the girl's father. Shoulder length hair as dark as his daughter's, a stubborn chin, and a laid back attitude if anything could be said about his posture; my new teacher seemed to not have a care in the world. Leaning against his desk, the chuunin sighed and lazily ran a hand through his loose hair. I caught a glint of silver hoop earrings hanging from his earlobes before the inky strands settled back into place.

Sharp eyes stared at me and I knew that this man was giving me the same scrutiny that I was giving him. I wondered what he saw.

"You the kid Tsunade sent?"

"Yes, sir."

"Got your scrolls?"

"Yes, sir." I had found a tall pile of scrolls inside the apartment when I had woken up this morning. I was amazed at the amount of information written in the rolls of paper and at the fact that I hadn't sensed anyone entering my…home. Yes, it was my home now.

"Got eyes?"

Confused, I nodded.

"Good, then you should have no trouble finding your seat."

A dismissal if I ever heard one.

I inclined my head a little in respect and made my way to the wildly waving girl in the back row. A laugh bubbled in my throat when I saw the pig tailed girl shove an unfortunate boy out of the seat next to her. Kousa pointed exaggeratingly to the now free chair. I gave her a small smile of thanks before sitting down, quietly setting my bag of supplies on the desk.

"Hi. My name is Kousa Nara, what's yours?"

I looked at the girl for a moment. Many thoughts flew through my head faster than a bird in flight. Was she a spy? Could she only be trying to get close to me to try and kill dad? Did she want – no – she wanted only my name, a name that meant nothing to me or my enemies.

"I am Amaya Soyo. It is a pleasure to meet you daughter of the Nara clan," I said, the formal greeting of shinobi passing my lips.

Kousa stared at me oddly before breaking out into a wide smile. "Well, I can say that no one has ever said it was a pleasure to meet me before."

Mentally I told myself to just be quiet from this moment on. Dad had taught me the ancient ways of conduct before ninja clans. Better to be overly polite than risk an execution because of not showing the proper amount of respect. Besides, dad had mentioned in passing of the Nara clan. He said that their famous bloodline possessed the power to control the shadows cast by the sun. They also owned a large portion of forest land to raise the deer they cared for.

I snapped out of my thoughts when Kousa placed a hand over her heart and quoted an ancient line that acknowledged my greeting. "May your blade remain sharp and eyes keen, battle sister." From one kunoichi to another, the words were another form of good luck. "And I thought mom teaching me this was a waste of time, but it's totally different when you're actually using it. I don't know the proper way to say this so I'll just do it the Kousa way! Will you be my friend?"

This time, I laughed out loud. To think, I hadn't had a friend for twelve years and in ten minutes here in this classroom I was being asked to be a friend. I couldn't express how happy I was so I just nodded enthusiastically to her question.

"Oh that's great! You can come over to my house and we'll-!"

"Kousa!"

The girl gulped. "Yes, Papa-sensei?" She turned to her father.

"Do I need to tell your mother that you're interrupting class? Again?"

"No!" She exclaimed and instantly sat up straighter to show that she was paying attention.

The teacher stared at her for a moment longer to be sure that she wasn't going to suddenly talk again before he began writing on the board.

"Today, we're going to learn about the other countries that are allied with the Fire Nation. Can anyone a name one of our allies?" A green haired boy raised his hand in the air in the front row. "Yes, Geoffrey?"

"The Land of Wind, Nara-sensei."

"Good. And the name of its shinobi village? Kousa?"

Kousa let down her hand to respond. "The Village Hidden in the Sand."

"Correct. The Land of Wind is a large, dry, and desolate country whose cities are typically found near water sources. While much of the country is inhospitable, the population is large and prosperous due to its frequent trading with the Land of Fire," Nara-sensei lectured.

Captured under the spell of knowledge, I listened intently to every word even though I knew all this already. The way he spoke enthralled me. This man really loved his job; it was easy to tell in the loving tone of his voice.

So I listened and was very surprised when Nara-sensei dismissed class for the day. The time seemed to had flown by!

"Amaya Soyo, you stay."

Kousa let go of my arm with a dramatic sigh that she had been pulling to drag me outside with her.

"Don't let him bully you," she told me as she walked with me down the steps to the front of the room where Nara-sensei waited. "He's actually very lazy and if he decides to give you detention he'll probably let you go because he doesn't want to stay after to deal with snotty nosed brats. So if he does anything just tell me and I'll tell my mom. Right, dad?" She spoke a little louder at the last part of her babble, the comment directed at her father.

"Women," he sighed. "So troublesome."

His daughter sniffed haughtily with her nose pointed in the air. "Hmph" She turned to me. "I'll see you tomorrow. May your strike always be true," she whispered and winked as if we shared some sort of great secret.

Nara-sensei and I watched the bubbling girl leave. Neither of us spoke until the door closed behind the last student and the classroom emptied out. The man took a moment to straighten a miscellaneous stack of papers on his desk, red ink marked through illegible scribbles. He sat down at his desk and opened a drawer to the side. He selected a packet of papers, blank except for diagrams, numbers, and words with question marks at the end and placed the papers on his desk.

The black haired teacher looked at me with a raised eyebrow. "You didn't take notes." A statement, not a question but I shook my head anyway. "You already knew the information." I didn't bother to answer. It seemed that he already knew. "I wonder how much you know and whether or not I can teach you anything at this level." He spoke more to himself than to me, so I ignored him politely.

A few moments passed in silence as Nara-sensei thought on his words. I narrowed my eyes. I would have to be very careful around this man. He was very sharp. "Here," he suddenly said, pointing at the pile of papers held together by a single staple that he had pulled out of his drawer. "Answer these questions to the best of your ability. You have an hour. Get started."

I took the sheets and the offered pencil and sat down at a random desk, my eyes already scanning the page.

* * *

I was twenty minutes into the test, on the second page of four, when a realization suddenly hit me. My pencil ceased scratching across the page for just a few seconds. Suddenly, I felt eyes on me. Nara-sensei was watching me very closely, studying my posture and the speed as to which I was answering the questions. I pretended to think for a moment before going on to the next problem.

_If an enemy positioned at Point A at an elevation of fifty-three feet threw a shuriken at a twenty-seven degree angle towards Point C with a slight wind blowing at three miles per hour-_

This was a more difficult problem than the last ones which were mostly theories on chakra expulsion and control. It would take a minute to fully answer, so it wasn't the difficulty of the matter that bothered me, I could do it; it was the difficulty that the class would have to solve it. If Nara-sensei was covering intercontinental relationships only today then…oh, the man was smarter than I thought. Didn't dad say to never underestimate an opponent? Well, point to you Nara-sensei, for catching me off guard. I would have to tread carefully in this little game that we've started. You're trying very hard to figure out who I am and what I know.

But he had underestimated me as well. I sniffed out his intent with this little test, but what would he try in the future?

Nara-sensei was looking at me again when I paused to gather my thoughts. I didn't know if I could keep up the charade without giving anything away that I would rather keep to myself. I was here to learn, not for others to learn about me.

So I took my time with the last portion of the test, answering questions briefly without going into detail or getting them wrong completely. But I was careful. I wanted to appear average, not stupid. Besides, I had a feeling that Nara-sensei would sense any deception in a heartbeat.

I looked up through the thin veil of my eyelashes to see my teacher yawn widely and scratch the back of his neck as if he hadn't a care in the world. For a moment I entertained the notion that maybe father's paranoia had rubbed off on me more than I thought before shaking my head and telling myself that I could never be too careful.

"Time's up," the lazy man drawled, covering up another yawn. "Give me your test and get out of here."

I inclined my head slightly before handing off my papers. He looked at me with a raised eyebrow and I shrugged innocently before walking out the door.

As soon as I silently slid the door back into place, I let out a troubled sigh. The wood of the door felt cool against my forehead when I leaned against it. My thoughts whirled about my head like a hurricane mixing together my fears and worries into one giant storm that threatened to blow out my ears. I clenched my eyes shut forcing back the uncontrollable tempest in hopes that the raindrops wouldn't slide down my cheeks.

It was hard…being someone that I wasn't. I wasn't a lost little girl who needed comfort and pity because she lost her parents. I wasn't an innocent pawn in reality's chess game. I knew the dangers of the world of shinobi. I knew because I was one and had seen more death and sorrow than any of the wide eyed _children_ in that classroom.

The kids in there knew _nothing_ of what happened outside Konohagakure's gates. They sat in an enclosed room, safe from outside dangers, and learned secondhand techniques that wouldn't save them in a real battle. Maybe a handful of students in that class would become genin, the lowest ranking of a shinobi. From then on about three or four would become chuunin in their lifetimes, and if they lived through their first couple 

of missions, one or two would become jounin. The ones who achieved the high ranking would live to the age of thirty, if they were lucky.

I wanted to scream and shout and yell into their faces that an enemy ninja would not wait for them to perform a jutsu or clumsily execute taijutsu. An enemy would strike without notice, leaving not a trace of their existence and disappear back into the shadows from where they sprung. A shinobi did not care if their opponent was a child. There was no hesitation for even a split second of uncertainty could mean death.

Those children did not know this. They were ignorant of the dangers around them. They knew nothing of white hot pain, the numbing blackness of death, or the red haze of bloodlust.

And I was jealous of their innocence.


	5. Dare to Face the Past

**Chapter Four**

**Dare to Face the Past**

"Soyo! Widen your stance!"

I shifted my legs a little farther away from one another until they lined up parallel to my shoulders into the proper position and threw my shuriken at the wooden target, again. One of the sharp points sunk into the outermost ring; the first hit of three throws.

Giggles surrounded me, the other Academy students making fun of me as Nara-sensei singled me out of the crowd, again. He always seemed to be watching me as if waiting for me to make a mistake. I released another shuriken which managed to skim the edge of the target to take a chip of it into the bushes.

"You'll see better with both eyes open, Soyo!"

I muttered under my breath about Nara-sensei and his sharp eyes. So far, my teacher had caught everything that was incorrect. From how I purposefully stood in the wrong position to how I released the metal star; he caught it all. At seventy feet I could strike any target, dead center, moving or still with no trouble. I was deadly accurate with any weapon as I had been trained to be.

With twenty feet between me and a bright red bull's-eye, it was child's play. But that wasn't true for the other Academy students. Only a handful had been able to pin their shuriken to the center and that was after a couple of tries. I had congratulated Kousa when she completed today's objective with ease. She told me that her mother had been throwing sharp, pointy objects at her father long before Kousa was born so she had inherited that ability.

I had laughed at my friend's explanation as wells as at Nara-sensei's shudder and his mutterings of troublesome women. It felt weird to call Kousa my friend. I never had a friend before and when I told Kousa that she gave me a funny look before asking why no one wanted to have someone as great as me for a friend. I couldn't answer her question with words so I shrugged. She stared at me for a moment longer and then grabbed my arm. She had proceeded to drag me down the streets of Konoha babbling about how I needed a new wardrobe. I was then pushed into a beige colored stall with a bundle of clothing shoved into my arms and the command to try it on. I had learned early on to not question Kousa when she had her mind set on something, so we spent the entire afternoon putting on clothes, trying on accessories, and gossiping about who was dating who and the newest happenings in the village. Well, Kousa gossiped, I listened.

It was the best day of my life.

Reaching into my weapons pouch tied onto my left thigh, I selected a single shuriken clutched between my middle and forefinger. I drew it out and prepared another sloppy throw, but this time I would aim towards the discolored knot of wood two inches from the center. That would be my bullseye.

With a decisive thud, the shuriken struck the knot with punishing force. I smirked in satisfaction and proceeded to try for the leaf that had landed on top of the round target, but before I could let loose the star from my fingertips my wrist was caught in a gloved grip. I looked up in the penetrating eyes of my sensei; their black depths boring into my own with an intensity that sent the hairs on the back of my neck shooting up. His fingers carefully repositioned my wrist so that my shuriken would fly from my hand, correctly. His other hand he used to slap me upside the head. I exclaimed more in shock rather than the pain and Nara-sensei glared at me.

"I thought you said that your eyes were fine, Soyo?"

I nodded, still shocked from the familiarity of the gesture.

"Good," he grunted. He extended his arm out that he used to knock me on the head and pointed at the target. "You see that red dot in the middle?" Again, I nodded. "Aim for that, not the surrounding foliage."

It was the way he said it that put me on guard. Ever since that fake test he gave me three weeks ago he hadn't stopped, well…testing me. So far, I was pretty sure that I hadn't given anything away. Training was kept to a minimum. I went through a daily regimen of basic taijutsu and followed the pattern of my ninjutsu; no chakra, but I was sure that Nara-sensei knew I was hiding something. I even went out of my way to put up the show of normality for the ANBU that strayed outside my apartment. Every night, without fail, they would post a watch at my window, reporting back to Tsunade what I ate for breakfast and where I put my silverware. I was certain that I had pinned down the timing of when the guard changed, but I didn't know if it were the same shinobi that hid behind painted masks for I had not seen the dog ANBU since I moved in.

"Wake up, Soyo! This isn't nap-time."

Startled out of my musings, I snapped my wrist out with the intimately familiar weight of the shuriken. With a deafening whistle in the sudden silence, the star soared through the air in a straight path striking the center with a solid thump. The vibrations of the harsh impact travelled up the tree the target was attached to and shook loose green leaves that lazily drifted to the ground as if without a care.

I looked over from the shivering branches to the smirking face of my sensei. He had crossed his arms over his chest some time during my journey through my thoughts; the man looked positively smug.

"Nice shot, Soyo," he drawled. He gave me a pat on the head where he hit me earlier before turning around to help another struggling student. He called over his shoulder. "Do that three more times and you're done for the day."

Smoldering under my calm façade, I cursed under my breath at my carelessness. Everything Nara-sensei had done today had been working towards me losing my patience and thoughts. I should have seen that! It seemed that no matter how much I planned and covered my nearly non-existent tracks, the black-haired man was always ahead of me. Countering all my attempts to hide away, asking questions that put me off guard; I wasn't safe in the comforting shadows of obscurity around him. But I was addicted to his teachings. I fell into the temptation of being a kid. Falling into the shrouded abyss of ignorance; I wasn't sure I wanted to climb out.

There was one thing, however, that I didn't miss in my childhood; fools and idiots. I ignored the obnoxious snickering next to me and continued to aim for that leaf that I had my eye on earlier. Finally, though, I couldn't take it anymore and turned to glare at the boy who had bestowed the privilege onto himself to annoy the hell out of me.

"What is so funny," I asked.

Jin, the ice-haired boy, chuckled for a moment longer. "You, of course," he responded, "and your sad attempts to succeed in anything you do."

The words shouldn't have hurt me, but I couldn't help but feel a twinge of pain. I turned that pain into anger.

"I see you haven't made much progress either," I mocked and gestured to his own target, not as bare as my own, but the closest shuriken to the center was in the first ring.

He snorted. "Hmph," and raised his nose at me. "At least I can hit my target. I can't say the same for you, though."

"I always hit my intended target."

Jin smirked. "Care to make a bet on that?"

Never was I the one to say no to a challenge. I nodded.

"Perfect," he sneered. "We'll settle this with one shot. The one who gets the closest to the center wins."

This was a great chance to put this conceited, arrogant boy into his place. "What will happen when you lose, Jin?"

"Well, when _you_ lose, Soyo, you'll have to…" he broke off to think. "The loser has to…spend the night in the haunted mansion," he said with a cruel sneer stretched across his face.

I think I was supposed to be scared, but I had no idea what he was talking about. Besides, haunted mansion? It sounded stupid not…scary.

Jin must have caught my confused expression. "Oh, right. You're the foreign orphan the Hokage took pity on. Of course you wouldn't know anything."

_I know how to throw a punch_, I growled mentally. It wouldn't take much force to break his nose.

"But surely you must have at least heard about the Uchihas?"

Everything around me chilled, trapped in an instance of time. The wind ceased its game of blowing through the trees. The birds left off their happy tune. My blood ran cold. My breathing stopped. I froze.

However, the sudden stillness didn't affect Jin's mouth.

"They say that when the older Uchiha brother murdered his family, the spirits of the dead stayed behind. That's why the younger brother, the only one spared, went mad and began a killing spree of his own after he betrayed the village. But since the spirits were not put to rest, they haunt the Uchiha compound to this very day, waiting for someone of their bloodline to sink their ghostly claws into."

My dad's childhood, his past – my history – was here. Everything that I've always wanted to know was here. Grandmother, grandfather, cousins, great aunts, great uncles, all the family that I've never known and will never meet were all here. I knew that they must have been here, but I never made a connection. Never received a clue.

And now I had it. All I had to do to get it was to lose this bet. It seemed things were falling into place, laying down a path for me to lead me towards my destiny, my goal: my uncle's death.

"Are you done trying to scare me, Jin?"

He frowned, but shrugged off my accusation. "So, ready to lose?"

_Yes_. "Show me what you got."

Jin threw first. He made his mark on the uppermost tip of the bullseye. Not bad. With a little more practice he wouldn't be a terrible shot. He turned to me with a smirk. I returned one of my own. I let my shuriken fly and hit my mark dead in the center.

"Ha! Tough luck, Soyo. Looks like you're sleeping with ghosts tonight."

"Looks like it," I agreed.

I looked at my metal star pinning that annoying leaf to the top of the painted wood, right in the middle of it. I told him that I always hit my intended target.

"You have to bring something back that proves you were at the mansion. If you don't, you'll never be one of us!"

"What do you mean?"

Jin sighed in aggravation. "I mean that's the initiation test for wannabe genins. If you're not brave enough to spend the night in the Uchiha compound then you'll never be a ninja. The ones who've done it have _always_ become genins. Every. Single. Time."

"Have you done it?"

"O-of course," he stuttered and then began to pick up his array of shuriken from the target. If he wasn't so arrogant I think I would have kissed him for his childish dare. He quickly left the practice field outside of the Academy leaving me with a handful of students who were still trying to hit the bullseye.

I was spending the night in the Uchiha mansion, a place of bloodshed and sorrow. I couldn't wait. The only problem was dodging my guards. I wanted to do this alone, and alone did not include three ANBU who would certainly report my activities back to the Hokage. She didn't need to know everything about what I did, and this was something that was intimately private. Tonight I would meet my family for the first time, so what was I doing here?

Looking around, I spotted Nara-sensei helping a struggling student with shuriken practice. My teacher was kind, but firm, intelligent, but lazy, and the best thing of all, his attention was off of me. Quickly, I slipped my hand into the pouch at my side, sliding three shuriken into the spaces between my fingers. I took a half step forward and flung my arm out all in one fluid movement. The shuriken whistled through the air for a split second before biting deeply into the bullseye of the target, adding to the single star already there; all three clustered around their brother to form a flower with four petals.

"I've finished, Nara-sensei," I called out before dashing away towards my apartment. I didn't wait for his dismissal because I needed to plan out a certain little distraction for my guard dogs tonight.

* * *

It was quiet except for the soft clanking of dishes and the rasping of cloth scrubbing the plates clean. Dinner had been a simple ordeal if not a peaceful one, but I missed the crackling of an open flame and the warm presence of my father. I didn't eat much, I never did. Tonight, however, my stomach was too unsettled from excitement. Before I placed the leftovers into the fridge I thought to offer my meal to the ANBU posted around the apartment building. Then again, it would be rude to expose them after they had been trying so hard to keep me from knowing I had a pack of guard dogs following me for most of the day.

So I decided to keep this little game of ours going for the sake of my own amusement. Because I was sure that watching a potential suspect be…normal was boring. Well, there would be a break in the routine I had established, at least for me. And it would start…now!

I picked up my stack of dried dishes, and, like always, opened up the cabinet to place them inside. However, it seemed that I had put too much weight on the feeble shelf. The weak wood neatly snapped in half and all the plates, bowls and pans came pouring out of the cabinet and onto me as well as the floor. It was an accident, of course. I mean it could have happened to anyone.

The noise the china avalanche made was deafening as I dropped to the floor, conveniently hidden behind the counter. Part One of my distraction was complete. Time to set in motion Part Two.

My fingers instantly fell into the long practiced pattern of the shadow clone jutsu that had been one of the first jutsus father had taught me. Immediately following was a lesson in chakra control. He told me that withdrawing only the necessary amount would allow me to have more chakra saved for another attack. And that extra bout of offense could save my life. "Only idiots and fools pushed their body's limit in order to make a spectacle of themselves," he said. Right after that, he got that far away look in his eye that I had come to associate with him remembering the past. I only nodded and tried again. I didn't ask, for when he was reliving his memories it was either painful or peaceful for him. If it was bad, he would be in a _mood_ the rest of the day, but if it was a recollection of better days he would get this smile on his face. A nearly invisible one, but it was a grin nonetheless and I didn't have the heart to interrupt one of the few moments where my father would be at peace.

I missed him. I missed him so much.

But now was not the time for memories. It was time to act. I felt the warm brush of my chakra snap against my skin and immediately Amaya Uchiha kneeled before me with an identical smirk. I couldn't go very far without losing my connection with the clone, but all I needed to do was to send my copy to bed and no one would know.

The sound of the last dish falling masked the pop of my transportation jutsu. I flicked the hood of my jacket over my head so that it covered my hair and strolled down the streets of Konoha as if I hadn't a care in the world. No one would notice me missing for I was still in the kitchen of my run-down apartment picking up the mess of cookware. I never knew sneaking out could be so much fun.

With a small grin on my face, I walked silently towards the abandoned Uchiha compound which I had scouted out earlier in the day under the guise of going shopping. I passed closed up shops and little houses with dim lights glowing peacefully from covered windows. I heard laughter come from one followed by a chorus of giggling children; jealously flared up inside of me for a moment before it was blown away by a chilly breeze. I huddled deeper inside of my thin jacket. There was no reason to be jealous. I had a good life with my dad. It may not have been perfect, but I was happy. I was happy with him.

But now he was gone. Could I be happy again?

I sighed. I didn't know. I didn't know a life without him. I was walking blind on an obscured path through an unknown forest without a clue as to which way I should go. So I stopped.

I stood in the middle of the street, broken gates barring my passage with the Uchiha crest stamped proudly in the center.


End file.
